The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Average turnout recorded in north Chennai

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 19, 2007
ePaper


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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Average turnout recorded in north Chennai

City Bureau

Cadres of DMDK and PMK come to blows Four people were detained on suspicion of bogus voting and let off.

CHENNAI : North Chennai witnessed largely peaceful polling and an average turnout of around 33 per cent was recorded in the byelections to the Chennai Corporation Council on Sunday. The region that usually sees a high polling percentage saw sluggish polling through much of the day.

Tension prevailed for more than 30 minutes on Monegar Choultry Road in Royapuram at a booth of ward No. 19 in the Basin Bridge zone.

M. Soundarapandian, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam candidate, charged A. Rajendran, Pattali Makkal Katchi candidate, with attempting to capture a booth at Madras Matriculation School at around 10 a.m. PMK cadres and DMDK workers came to blows and police personnel arrived to disperse the crowd.

Holding lathis, they ordered the candidates and party workers to leave the place and refused to entertain Mr. Soundarapandian's allegations. To prevent untoward incidents, they also asked proprietors to down shutters of shops within 100 metres of the booth. Polling inside the booth proceeded peacefully amidst the drama.

The Tondiarpet zone recorded 30 per cent voter turnout and the Basin Bridge zone 37 per cent.

A few complaints of bogus voting were received from the Ayanavaram and Pulianthope zones (Zones 3 and 4), which recorded turnouts of around 33 and 28 per cent respectively.

Bogus voting was enabled by the use of ration cards for voter identification, alleged party workers not belonging to the ruling alliance. Only photographs of the heads of families are carried on the cards, making it easier for impostors to claim that they were family members, they said. Police personnel at a booth in ward No. 36 said they apprehended four people on suspicion of bogus voting and let them off in the evening.

One candidate was heard confessing over phone that he cast `only' 50 votes in 10 minutes, as a polling official would not give him more time.

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